Devils and Angels
by Sweet Lu
Summary: An operation in the desert turns deadly and the team has to fight for their lives with the help of outsiders.


**Devils and Angels**

"Stark, what are you doing here, man," Sam said with a big smile lighting up his face.

"Sam, you know we're always the last to know when an op gets changed," Stark replied as he grabbed Sam in a bear hug that would have crushed most men. But then, Sam Hannah wasn't an ordinary man.

Stark was a half a head taller than Sam, but his physique was similar. He carried himself straight-backed, with his chest thrust out, almost as if he was moving forward even while standing still. His head was almost totally shaved, except for a small crop of dusty blond hair just above his forehead. His tattoos weren't as dynamic as Sam's, but what they lacked in sophistication, they made up for in quantity, especially on his arms, which were covered with multi-colored images of wild animals, devils and skeletons. But, his most impressive features were his massive hands. If you weren't prepared, you shouldn't shake hands with Mike Stark.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the team," Sam said, "Callen, Kensi Blye, and our resident cop, Detective Marty Deeks."

"A cop?" Stark asked, looking surprised, "what are you doing working with a cop, Sam? I thought this was an NCIS op."

"Deeks is our liaison officer with the LAPD, and Kensi's partner", Callen explained.

"How do you know Sam?" Deeks asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

"I've known Sam since the Bosnian War, 1994," Stark said, "right, Sam?"

"Stark pulled me out of the middle of a pile of dead guys," Sam answered with a haunted look in his eyes. "How he knew I was alive I'll never know, but if he hadn't found me, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"You were just lucky I saw your ugly black face, that's all," Stark said with a grin. He grabbed Sam again for another bear hug and then introduced his squad of six.

"Why are you and your squad here, Stark?" Callen asked with a puzzled look. "Our part of this Op was to make sure the missiles arriving here tomorrow afternoon were secure and that their destination was not compromised."

"We just received new intel this morning that there might have been a security breach," Stark explained, "so we've been sent to provide additional protection for the transport. Nobody told us it would be Sam here we would be working with, though."

"Why wouldn't Hetty have let us know about this?" Deeks questioned. "If it's this sensitive an op, wouldn't there already be enough security in place, instead of sending in a new team none of us even knew about?"

"Communications out here are spotty, or screwed up or someone is interfering with them," Stark said, starting to sound a little testy.

"Still, on an op this sensitive, wouldn't...," Deeks began to question again, but was interrupted by Stark, who took a step closer to Deeks and said coldly, "How long have you been with NCIS, Deeks, a month, a year? Well I've been doing ops like this a hell of a lot longer than that and yet you are questioning me. And it seems to me you don't believe what I'm telling you is the truth and that is pretty close to you calling me a liar."

Callen quickly stepped between the two men, breaking their eye contact, and told everyone to calm down.

"No one is calling anyone a liar, Stark," Callen said, "Deeks is not a trained agent or a military guy, so he doesn't have the same experience as we do."

"Then he should keep his mouth shut," Stark replied, glaring at Deeks.

Sam took Stark's arm and led him away from the confrontation, telling him. "He irritates the hell out of me too, Stark, but that's just the way he is. Besides, he doesn't know you like I do. Come on, man, lighten up." Punching Stark lightly on the arm.

"Well, just keep him away from me, Sam," Stark said coldly, "I don't like him, and I don't want some dumb-ass cop screwing up my security detail." Then he turned to face Sam and told him, "If he calls me a liar again, Sam, I'll knock him out." Then he yelled for his men and strode away.

Sam stalked back to the team, coming up behind Deeks as he continued to question Callen. Sam grabbed Deeks' arm and spun him around to face him.

"Who do you think you are, Deeks?" Sam said angrily into his face, "Who are you to question a decorated soldier like Stark? He was running ops like this while you were in grade school. Take my word for it, this is a good guy, and one of the best soldiers I've ever known"

"Sam, I know he's your friend and he saved your life, but shouldn't we confirm...", Deeks said, still trying to make his point, but Sam cut him off in mid-sentence.

"Do you agree with him?" Sam asked Callen and Kensi, pointing at Deeks.

"Listen, Deeks," Callen said, "if Sam vouches for this guy, then that's good enough for me."

"Me too," Kensi agreed, "sorry, Deeks."

"OK," Deeks said, looking at the ground, "you win, Sam" Then he turned and walked away.

...

Their location was fifty miles east of Barstow, south of Highway 15, near the small town of Basin, which consisted of a few buildings and houses and a small group of citizens, most of whose native tongue was Spanish. The landscape was scrub desert, hot and desolate. The team's base was an isolated group of buildings with a landing strip and a couple of small hangers, and it wasn't a very comfortable place to spend time, especially if you were Marty Deeks, who wasn't overly fond of the desert anyway.

Deeks wandered into the building that was being set up for the mess hall, looking for coffee. Some of the locals had been contracted to provide meals for the team until a couple of hours before the convoy was to arrive. He asked a young boy setting up if there was any coffee, but the boy looked confused and began acting scared, nervously calling out in Spanish to a woman carrying dishes. She walked over and calmed the boy, speaking softly to him in Spanish.

"He's not used to strangers," she said quietly to Deeks, "He was in an accident a year ago that left him with brain damage, and now he's easily frightened. He doesn't remember his English, just Spanish. I'm sorry, is there something I can get you?"

"No need to apologize," Deeks said to her in Spanish, "I'm sorry I frightened him." He got a lovely smile from the girl for his effort, and she sent the boy for the coffee he had requested.

"My name's Marty Deeks," he said introducing himself, in English this time.

"Elena," she said, "and the boy is my brother, Hector."

The boy came back with his coffee and Deeks began to talk to him quietly in Spanish about the tee shirt he was wearing, asking him questions about the guitarist pictured on the front and eventually getting a small smile from him. He noticed the other locals watching and smiling and he realized how protective they were of him and how special this boy was to all of them. He asked Elena about it.

"Hector used to be a wonderful musician. He could play any instrument he picked up, but he loved the guitar. Since the accident, he has lost his ability to play, and it makes us all so sad, because he used to smile all the time when he was playing. So, when anyone gets him to smile, it brings back good memories for all of us."

As they were speaking, a teenage boy walked up and whispered something to Elena and she excused herself, leaving Deeks with the two boys.

"I'm Paco," the boy said, "Hector's my brother."

As Deeks and Paco began to talk, Stark and three of his men came in. They shouted loudly for service as they settled themselves at a table. Deeks saw Elena walk over to get their orders and Hector jumped up and ran to help his sister. Deeks wasn't sure what happened, because his back was to Stark and his men, but he heard Hector cry out and then Elena yell at Stark. As he turned, he saw Stark grab Hector's arm and then slap him across the face. Deeks was up in an instant, and advanced on Stark.

"Let him go, Stark," he said angrily, "He's just a kid."

Stark just laughed and shook the boy hard and Hector began to cry. Deeks lost it, charging the much larger man. He managed to get Hector free from Stark's grip, before Stark's men jumped him. They held him as Stark stood in front of him and smiled.

"You again," Stark said, smiling darkly.

"Elena, take Hector out of here," Deeks said, keeping his eyes focused on Stark. After they were clear, he noticed some of the locals had gathered and were slowly moving closer. There were about eight men and they did not look friendly.

"Picking on a brain damaged kid seems a little beneath you, Stark," Deeks said, his voice low and sarcastic, "at least according to Sam's glowing assessment of you." As he finished speaking, Stark struck him hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and taking him to his knees. His mind clouded as he tried to catch his breath, unaware that the locals had surrounded Stark and his men. Stark realized his situation and told his men to drop Deeks, who collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. Sam, Kensi and Callen came in just as Stark reached for his weapon.

"Stark, put away your weapon," Callen shouted, rushing to confront the man. Sam was close on his heels.

"Stand down, Stark, stand down," Sam yelled in Stark's face, his hand on his chest.

Kensi began speaking to the locals in Spanish and English, asking them to back away. Elena joined in the effort and the situation slowly defused, and the locals finally returned to the kitchen. Elena crouched beside Deeks and with Kensi's help managed to get him to his feet. As he slowly got his breathing back, Stark pointed at him and said, "Stay out of my sight, Deeks, or the next time you won't get off so easy." Then he walked out, followed by his men.

"What the hell did you do, Deeks," Sam shouted into Deeks' face. But before Deeks could answer, Elena stepped between them.

"He stopped that man from hurting my brother," she said loudly to Sam, with angry tears in her eyes. Then she turned and took Deeks by the arm and led him back into the kitchen, leaving the rest of the team looking at each other in confusion.

"Kensi, see if you can find out what happened," Callen said, shaking his head and pushing Sam out the door. He didn't like the dissension on his team or between Stark's team and the locals. It had to all be resolved, before tomorrow afternoon, when the missiles arrived. He needed to get control of not only his own team, but Stark and his men as well.

...

Everyone turned to look at Kensi as she entered the kitchen. Suspicion colored their eyes and they moved closer to Deeks as if to protect him. Deeks was surrounded by several men and women, including the woman who had stood up for him, and a young boy with spiky black hair who stood next to him slowly patting his shoulder. Deeks had his elbows on his knees and his head hung low, still trying to get air back in his lungs. He looked up when she came in and gave her a crooked grin.

"Are we having fun yet?" he asked weakly.

"Are you OK?" Kensi asked with enough concern that the people around Deeks seemed to relax.

"I just got punched in the gut by Rambo in khakis, what do you think." he said, his breathing shallow.

"Tell me what happened, Deeks," Kensi asked sitting down in front of him, "why did Stark hit you."

"I can answer that," Elena said, stepping forward and introducing herself and her brother, Hector. "my brother spilled water on the big man, and he became angry and wanted an apology, but Hector doesn't understand English and got scared and wouldn't answer, so the man grabbed him and slapped him. That's when Marty stepped in and pulled Hector away from him."

"I was explaining to our resident super-hero that the boy had suffered brain damage," Deeks said, picking up his part of the story, "when he slugged me in the stomach. Lovely guy, don't you think?"

"He didn't apologize to the boy after you told him that?" Kensi asked with an appalled look on her face.

"Like I said, lovely guy." Deeks said, rising from his chair and putting his arm around Hector. "Hey, buddy, I'll see you later, OK?," he said to him in Spanish. Then thanked Elena and the others for having his back, leaving them all nodding and smiling at him as he walked out of the kitchen.

Kensi caught up with him and walked him back to his small room. She left him to rest and went to find Callen and Sam to tell them what happened. She was beginning to get a very uneasy feeling about Stark. When she found Sam and Callen they were going over the details for tomorrow. She told them the story about the confrontation, and she was surprised at Sam's reaction.

"There has to be more to it than that," Sam argued, "I don't believe Stark would do that."

"Why would Elena and Deeks lie, Sam?" Kensi said with surprise in her voice.

"I don't know that woman or her brother," Sam replied, "but I do know Deeks and I know Stark, and Deeks has already shown he doesn't like Stark. The man I served with in Bosnia would never do what those people say he did."

"Sam, do you really think Deeks would lie about this?" Callen asked his obviously angry partner. This was becoming a volatile situation, and this was not the time for it.

"I've known Stark a lot longer than I've known Deeks," Sam answered, "so I'm siding with Stark until I find out differently." Then he stood and walked out.

"Deeks wasn't lying, Callen," Kensi said convincingly, "I've known him long enough to know that."

Callen felt his head spinning with all the dissension and it made him concerned about tomorrow. He decided to speak with Stark at dinner and get the situation sorted out before the missiles arrived in the late afternoon.

...

Deeks skipped dinner in the mess hall, grabbing a snack from the kitchen. He didn't want another confrontation with Stark or with Sam. When he saw Callen talking with Stark at dinner, he couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. This whole operation was turning into a pain in the ass, he thought. He got the feeling his own team was against him, even Kensi, and that made him very uncomfortable and disappointed.

Deeks wondered where Callen stood on all this, as he watched him speaking with Stark. Maybe he would be able to sort this out, but Deeks wasn't counting on it. He wished he could reach Hetty. She was always the voice of reason and he trusted her. Now, he would have to trust that Callen could contain the situation and control Stark. Deeks had been an undercover cop long enough to trust his instincts about people, and his instincts were telling him that there was something not quite right about Stark and his men. He may not be trained as an agent, but he knew how to read people, and his read on Stark was danger.

He went back to his room for a while, but couldn't relax, or go to sleep, so he decided to take a walk. Maybe the desert was nicer at night, he thought, anything has got to be better than being cooped up in this hot, tiny little room. He walked out beyond the buildings and looked up at a sky dense with what looked like a million pinpricks of light. He had never seen anything like it.

"Mr. Deeks?" someone said behind him. He turned to find three of Stark's men with drawn weapons pointed at him. He hadn't heard them at all. Two of them came to stand on either side of him, and took his weapon. With a gun pointed at the base of his skull, they shoved him towards a small outbuilding, some distance away, with two camouflaged humvees parked outside. He knew who would be waiting for him inside.

Stark was seated at a gray metal desk. The only light in the room was a desk lamp shining down onto a map spread out across the desktop.

"Welcome, Deeks," Stark said with a tight-lipped smile on his face as he came around the desk to stand in front of him. "I thought we needed to clear the air between us. Callen doesn't want our little tiff to spoil this op."

"So, you sent three guys with guns to get me?" Deeks asked, with every one of his senses on alert. "Kinda overkill, wouldn't you say?"

"I'd be very careful about my choice of words, Deeks," Stark said his voice quiet and menacing. "I don't want our run-in to spoil this op either, but for slightly different reasons. You've caused me to have to change my plans somewhat, and I don't like to change a good plan because of some nosy shit like you."

"And what plan would that be, Stark?" Deeks said slowly, wondering if there was a way out of this.

"I call it my retirement plan," Stark said and laughed. Then his left hand shot out and closed around Deeks' throat, cutting off his air. Deeks grabbed Stark's wrist with both hands, trying to loosen his hold, but Stark was too strong and his vision began to fog. Then Stark picked up his service weapon from the desk and slammed it into Deeks' head, knocking him to his knees. Still holding him up by the throat, Stark looked down at the unconscious cop, and hit him again, hard, finally letting him fall to the floor.

"Take this little prick out in the desert and dump him." Stark told his men, kicking Deeks as he said it, "before he gets blood all over my floor."

"You want us to make sure he's dead?" one of them said.

"No, I don't think that's gonna be necessary," Stark said with a cold smile, "Between the beating I just gave him and the desert, Mr. Deeks is gonna die slow and painfully all by himself. If he does wake up, I kinda like the thought of him stumbling around in a hundred degree heat, with no water, until his head explodes. That'll teach him to mess with Mike Stark."

The men dragged Deeks out a rear door, and tumbled him into the back of one of the humvees. He groaned softly as he landed on the metal surface, but didn't move. One of the men stayed in the back while the other two drove out of camp, heading for the open desert. After driving out about seven or eight miles, they turned off the track they were on and stopped on a small rise. The soldiers pulled Deeks roughly out of the vehicle and onto the ground. They left him lying face down, bleeding into the sand.

...

"Callen, have you seen Deeks?" Kensi asked, worry obvious on her face.

"No, have you checked in the kitchen, someone told me he had dinner there last night," Callen answered, "maybe he's keeping a low profile this morning as well. Not a bad idea after yesterday."

"Yeah, it would suit me fine if he stayed out of my way all day," Sam told her brusquely.

Kensi gave him a dirty look and went into the kitchen, but came right back out.

"There's no one in there," she said with a puzzled look on her face, "aren't the locals supposed to stay here until after lunch?"

"That's what I was told," Callen said, looking at Sam, "isn't that what you understood Sam?"

"Maybe they misunderstood," Sam replied, looking as confused as the others.

"Or, they're just upset about yesterday and bailed on the contract," Kensi said eying Sam. "All the food is laid out for breakfast, but nobody to serve or clean up."

As they began to serve themselves, Stark and all of his men came in with full gear, rifles and packs.

"Morning, Sam," Stark called out. "See you noticed, no staff. I sent them home early."

"Who gave you the authority to do that?" Callen asked with his blue eyes flashing.

"My own," Stark replied, pulling his weapon and pointing it at Callen's chest. The rest of his men covered Sam and Kensi, spreading out in a semi-circle in front of them.

"Put all your weapons on the table and stand back," Stark ordered.

"What the hell are you doing, Stark," Sam shouted, starting towards his old friend, confusion covering his face.

"Don't make me shoot you, Sam," Stark said, his voice low and mean, and making Sam stop dead in his tracks. Comprehension dawned on his face, and was quickly replaced with storm clouds of anger.

Kensi took a step forward, her eyes dark and anxious, "Where's Deeks," she asked huskily.

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to find yourself a new boyfriend, sweetheart," Stark said with a vicious smile.

Kensi gasped and put her hand on the table to steady herself. Callen looked shocked and his face filled with fury. But, it was Sam who had the most vehement reaction. He charged Stark. But, Stark, anticipating his move, sidestepped, hitting Sam on the back of the neck and knocking him to the floor.

"Stay down, Sam," he said, "or I'll shoot Deeks' little girlfriend here."

"Sam, do as he says," Callen cautioned.

As Sam rose to his feet, he stared at Stark, he was stone-faced, and his eyes steely cold, and said, "I'm gonna kill you."

Stark just laughed. His men tied up the three of them, and then they were pushed to the floor. Two men were left to guard them as Stark began to give orders to the rest of his men as they moved toward the small building that was his office.

"Kensi, keep it together," Callen spoke softly to her, "we need to find a way out of this and it's going to take all of us to do that." Kensi kept her head down and never replied to Callen. She was shaking, but he couldn't tell if she was crying or just shaking with anger. He suspected some of both. He knew she was angry with him and with Sam, which she had every right to be. If they had listened to Deeks, they wouldn't be in this situation, and Deeks would still be alive. If she couldn't get past that anger, then his team was splintered completely, and his options would definitely be limited.

Then he thought about Sam. Callen had been shocked when Sam had charged Stark. It was irrational for someone like Sam to react that way. He was the consummate professional, a Navy SEAL, always cool, always in control. But, as soon as Stark had come on the scene, his demeanor had changed. He had subordinated himself to Stark, possibly falling back into an old habit. He had dismissed any criticism of the man, and had blatantly rejected any questions Deeks had about what Stark and his men were doing here. Callen knew his partner well, and he should have known something was up with him, but he had let it slide. When Sam realized that Deeks had been right to question Stark and that it had cost him his life, the guilt must have overwhelmed him.

"Sam," Callen whispered, "listen to me, Sam."

"What?" Sam answered, his voice quiet and sad. "You gonna tell me this isn't my fault? Well, I'm not buyin' it G. Deeks is dead because of me, and nothing you can say will change that fact."

"If anyone is to blame, it's me, Sam," Callen admitted, "I'm the team leader, and I dismissed Deeks' questions just like you did."

"Because you listened to me," Sam said, his voice trailing off.

They all became silent as they each tried to deal with their feelings of guilt about Deeks' death. Then Kensi spoke out more loudly than she should have. "Stark is the person to blame for what happened to Marty, and we need to see that he pays for it." It was the first time either one had ever heard her call him by his first name, and it made his death all that more personal.

...

When he came to the first time, he couldn't stand. The world spun around and around and the pain spiked through his head so violently, he collapsed and blackness blissfully took him. The second time he woke, he felt like he was swimming in fire. Everything he touched was so hot he thought he must be in hell. He couldn't escape the pain and heat that seemed to surround his head, and when he touched his face a sticky wetness clung to his hand. He opened his eyes but his vision blurred into red.

He kept moving but always falling, and he had no idea what direction he was going, he just knew he had to be someplace important. He had trouble remembering who he was and why he was here in this glaring brightness that was his world.

...

Elena had been surprised when Stark told them all to go home, that their contract had been fulfilled. After bringing her two brothers home to Basin from LA, she had done contracts with the government and she had never had a contract terminated on such short notice. She was surprised it was Stark that gave them the news, too. She didn't trust him and she certainly didn't like him after he had hit Hector and Marty Deeks. She had tried to say goodbye to Marty before she left, but couldn't find him anywhere. Hector became very upset about that, but Stark insisted they all be out before anyone came in for breakfast. So she and Paco had loaded up their SUV and after finally convincing Hector to get in, she drove out of the compound and headed home.

...

He was lying in the shadow of a rocky outcrop, his breathing shallow and fast and he was thinking about water. The agony in his head continued, but he was getting use to it. He had wiped his eyes with the tail of his shirt to clear them, and things weren't as red and blurry as they had been. If he moved too quickly, though, his head would spin and nausea would force him to his hands and knees. He finally understood that he was bleeding from a head wound, but how he got it he couldn't remember. He knew he had to keep moving, that he had to warn someone about something important, but the details were just out of reach, and so was his name.

With effort, he staggered to his feet once again and left the shadow to venture out into the white heat.

...

After stopping at a friend's trailer for a few hours, Elena told the boys they had to go before it got too hot. She had been promising to visit her friend for a while, and the terminated contract had allowed her the time to make good on her promise. She rarely took this road because it was so isolated. She never understood why anyone would want to live this far away from society, but to each his own. Hector was talking about her friend's dog, when Paco shouted for her to stop.

"Paco, we're in the middle of nowhere," Elena said, reluctant to pull over, "what is it?"

"There's somebody walking over there by that clump of mesquite," Paco said, "he just fell down.

Elena stopped the truck and got out. This was no place to be on foot, especially with the temperature this high. "Where, Paco? I don't see anything," she said shading her eyes. But as soon as she finished the question she saw him. A tall man with longish hair staggered to his feet, walked a short distance and then fell to his hands and knees, then collapse to the ground and didn't move.

"Paco, get the water bottle," she yelled as she started running. When she reached him, he was struggling to get up, but was so exhausted he collapsed again and rolled onto his back. His hair was matted with blood and his face streaked with it. His lips were blistered and his eyes almost swollen shut.

"Paco, quick, give me the water," she said, gently lifting the man's head and pouring a small amount of water over his lips and face. The man moaned and tried to grab the bottle, but his efforts were uncoordinated. He had head wounds that were black with caked blood and sand, and looked brutal. She knew he wouldn't have lasted another hour out here. She had to get him home quickly and get him cooled down and hydrated if he was going to make it.

As she and Paco struggled to help the man up, Hector ran to him and hugged him, asking him in Spanish "Marty, what happened to you?" Elena almost dropped him. She hadn't recognized him, he was in such bad shape. "Deeks," Elena spoke loudly in his face, "Marty, can you understand me?"

He stopped struggling, and looked vacantly at her and then at her brothers. "Is that my name?" he rasped, and then his eyes closed and he slowly collapsed in her arms.

Elena quickly had Paco clear out the back of the SUV and put the rear seat down so there would be room for him. Paco wasn't a big kid, but thank God he was strong, Elena thought, as the two of them struggled to get Deeks to the truck. He woke up long enough to get into the back, but passed out almost immediately. Paco and Hector sat on either side of him, fanning him as Elena gunned the engine and roared down the dusty road. She hadn't driven this fast since high school, but she knew he needed fluids badly and soon. She had been the head ER nurse at White Memorial Medical Center for four years before her parents were killed in the accident that had severely injured her brother. When she came back to Basin to care for him, she had set up a small clinic to serve the small, local population. It wasn't very big, only one bed, but she had the supplies she needed to save Deeks' life, if she could get him there in time.

Elena drove through town honking as she headed for the clinic next to her house. Several men ran after the truck, and were able to carry Deeks inside. She was yelling instructions as they brought him in. "Paco, go run water in the tub, but not too cold." she told him as the men laid Deeks on the bed. "Soak one of the thermal blankets and bring it here as fast as you can."

She had the men strip Deeks down as she got an IV into his arm. By then Paco had brought the wet blanket and they covered him with it and she had Hector bring ice packs to help cool him down. He was incoherent and mumbling, but she couldn't understand anything he was saying except the name, Stark. Now that he was getting the fluids he needed and they were working to get his body temperature down, she started to examine the wounds to his head.

She gently tried to wash the encrusted blood and sand from his face and forehead, but even her light touch caused him to cry out and jerk away. Finally, she had to have Paco hold his head still and another man hold his arms down while she cleaned the wounds. She gave him a shot for the pain, which she knew had to be excruciating, before she put eight stitches in the cut over his left eye. The contusion just below his hairline was still oozing blood, so she dressed it and then bandaged his head. She thought it must have been Stark who did this to him, and she knew he must have wanted Deeks to suffer cruelly before he died and with that thought, she felt a dark anger rise in the pit of her stomach, followed by a deep fear of what such a vicious man was capable of.

Elena sat with him, monitoring his body temperature. When she brought him in it had been 106 degrees, now with the ice packs and cool wet blankets, it was down to 104. Still not out of danger, but better. He was delirious most of the time, calling out the names of his friends and once or twice saying Stark's name, but most of what he said was incomprehensible. She couldn't understand what had made Stark do this to him. It couldn't just have been about their run-in over Hector, which would be irrational.

She was concerned that he didn't seem to know his name. It could be a result of the heat stroke, or because of the blows to his head, either way, she hoped as his temperature dropped, he would become more rational. She was a good nurse, but if the amnesia continued he was going to need more advanced care than she could provide. After an hour, Paco came in with Hector to give her a break and to get some food. Before going, she checked his temp and it was down another degree, which made her feel better.

"Paco, make sure Hector doesn't pester him, he really needs rest" she said as she left. But, her brother knew that wasn't going to be easy. He hadn't wanted Hector to come at all, but Hector had bugged him until he said he could. Hector liked Deeks, and he was worried about him, so he knelt by the bed with his face next to Marty's staring at him. Finally, Paco gave him a cold compress he could put on Marty's face and chest.

"Don't touch his head," Paco told him, "or you'll hurt him." Hector promised, and diligently continued to press the cloth lightly to Marty's cheek, saying his name each time he touched him. Paco noticed that Deeks' breathing was steadier, and he hadn't been talking out of his head for a while, but then Deeks cried out loudly, and Paco jumped. He saw that Hector was pressing the cool cloth down on Deeks' head, and that was why he was moaning in pain. Elena came running in, angrily asking what they had done. Hector put his arm around Deeks' head and refused to move.

Deeks opened his eyes and looked up at Hector.

"Hola, Hector."

"Hola, Marty."

Elena finally got Hector to leave Marty's side, and sent Paco out of the clinic with him. She sat down by the bed and spoke to Deeks quietly, trying to find out how mentally alert he was. He remembered her and her brothers and that was a good start.

"I felt like I was dreaming a little while ago," he said hoarsely, "I kept hearing someone repeat a name over and over, until finally, it started to sound familiar, and I knew it was my name. And then I began to remember what happened to me." Deeks stopped talking, closed his eyes tightly and started shaking. Elena could see just how painful the memories were and she took his hand and gripped it tightly, telling him, "You survived, Marty. Stark didn't get what he wanted." When he turned to look at her, his eyes were red and he shook his head. Then she felt him close his hand over her's and he looked at her and said, "I'm only alive because of you, Elena. Thank you."

Then he slept.

...

Elena kept an eye on her patient as she tried to keep all the neighbors up to date on his progress. Ever since Deeks had come to Hector's defense, the town's people had counted him as a friend, and when they heard what had happened to him and that Stark was probably responsible they rallied to his side and kept a close watch on how he was doing. She had just sent the local mechanic away with the latest update, when she heard Deeks call her name. When she walked into the clinic, he was sitting up, and trying to stand, but couldn't quite make it to his feet.

"Marty, what do you think you're doing," she said with alarm and rushed to make sure he didn't fall over.

"I have to go back," he said unsteadily, sitting back down and breathing hard, "the others have to know what Stark's planning and if he's already taken them hostage, then they'll need my help."

"You're in no condition to help anybody," she told him as she tried to force him to lie back down. But, he was determined and continued sitting on the side of the bed.

"Elena, he'll kill them," he said quietly, with certainty in his voice, "He needs them until the missiles come, as a decoy, but after that, he'll kill them, and I can't let that happen."

"But, Marty, you can barely stand," she pleaded. "Stark is heavily armed and has six or seven men with him. How can you possibly stop him?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet," he said as a cocky grin lit up his face all of a sudden. It almost made him look like his old self, except for the bloody bandage around his head and the sunburn and exhaustion etched on his face. "I wish I could talk to Hetty," he said as his grin disappeared.

"Why can't you?" she asked.

"Because cell phones don't seem to work around here," he said with a quizzical look on his face, "haven't you noticed?"

"But you can use our phone here," she said, "it's a land line."

He looked up at her with his eyes wide, "I could kiss you right now," he said, the grin reappearing on his face.

"Well, if you do, can I ask you to put on some pants first," she said laughing as she watched his sunburned face turn even more red as he quickly pulled the blanket over himself.

"Oops," he said grinning.

"I'm a nurse, Marty, I've seen it all before," she continued, still smiling at his embarrassment.

"The whole sponge bath thing, right?", he said smiling in return.

"Something like that," she replied, "now let me get you that phone."

...

Deeks head was starting to spin when Hetty came on the line. But, he felt his whole body relax, as that familiar, self assured voice, answered, "Lange."

"Hetty, it's Deeks," his voice cracking with relief to finally talk to the one person who would know what to do.

"Why the bloody hell haven't you and the team checked in, Mr. Deeks?" she yelled into the phone, "Eric's been trying to reach you for two days. Something is blocking the signal. Now, put Callen on the line, he has some explaining to do."

Deeks let her get it all out of her system before replying. "Hetty, we're in trouble." Then he sighed deeply, and began to tell her all the details about Stark and his opinion that the team was being held hostage until the missiles arrived. He told her he would try to help them, but he had no weapons and he was alone and injured. As he got to end of his explanation, he noticed an angry look on Elena's face. Suddenly, she walked over and took the phone out of his hand, and he was unable to stop her.

"Hello, my name is Elena Rivera," she spoke crisply into the phone using her head nurse voice and an angry one, "There's something Marty isn't telling you, Ms. Lange." She then proceeded to tell Hetty how she found Deeks in the desert and what his condition was then and now. When she was done, she gave the phone back to him and walked over and sat at her desk.

"Mr. Deeks, you should have told me," Hetty quietly said, "You were lucky Miss Rivera found you."

"She saved my life, Hetty," he told her softly, "and now I have to save the others, because there's no one else and we don't have much time."

"Mr. Deeks, here is what I'm going to do on my end," Hetty told him firmly, back in control. The story Elena had told her about what had been done to Deeks, by a man she had never even heard of, had made her very angry, and she did some of her best work when she was angry. She had gotten the impression from Elena that she didn't think Deeks was in any condition to take on Stark and his men, and Hetty was pretty sure she was right. But, there weren't a lot of choices and she knew the rest of the team was in immediate and extreme danger. She had to trust that Deeks could pull it off.

"I will inform the convoy to go to Plan B, Mr. Deeks," Hetty explained, "and I will arrange for a decoy in it's place, and I am scrambling a tactical unit to come to your location."

"But, Hetty, if Stark sees choppers, he's going to know he's been found out, and he will kill Kensi, Callen and Sam." he said rapidly.

"Then what do you suggest, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked, noticing how shaky his voice was. She was starting to worry that Miss Rivera was right, that Deeks was too injured and weak to pull off a rescue by himself.

"I haven't come up with a plan yet, Hetty," Deeks said, as he felt the small amount of energy he had, drain from his body, "I wanted to talk to you first." His hands had begun to shake and he would have dropped the phone if Elena hadn't taken it.

"Hetty, he needs to lie down and rest right now, before he passes out," Elena said firmly, "he'll have to call you back. But, if my opinion as his nurse is worth anything, he's not strong enough to get off this bed, let alone take on Stark."

"I do respect your opinion, Elena," Hetty replied, " but, I may have no choice, and I know from experience that people can do extraordinary things when they have to." Then she hung up and began to make phone calls.

Deeks fell back on the bed, exhausted. Elena helped him get settled and then gave him another shot for the pain. She hoped he would go to sleep, but as she left the room, she noticed he was staring at the ceiling with an intense look of concentration on his face, and she knew no matter what she said, he was going to try and save his friends.

Elena was having coffee when another neighbor came by to ask about her patient. Ruben was an old boyfriend, who until six months ago had been working on an oilrig off the gulf coast. He had come back to Basin to take care of his mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. She had passed away last month, but he was still in town, trying to decide if he wanted to go back to his old job and, Elena suspected, seeing if she might still be interested in him. He was a kind man, and modestly good looking. He kept himself in great physical shape, and was good with Hector. Even Paco liked him, and he had never liked any of her boyfriends.

"How's he doing?" Ruben asked, helping himself to a cup of coffee.

"He wants to go back to the airstrip and rescue his friends," she said shaking her head, "he's not strong enough, Ruben. He's going to get himself killed."

"After you saved his life?" Ruben said, "How ungrateful of him."

Elena gave him a dirty look and asked, "So you think one man, who can barely stand up will be able to take out a group of seven, heavily armed men, all by himself?"

"What if he had help?" Ruben said quietly, looking down at the table.

"Help from who?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"I've been talking to some of the guys," Ruben answered, "and we all thought Deeks would go back for his friends. If he jumped in to help you and Hector, people he didn't even know, then he's the kind of man that's not going to let his friends die without a fight."

Elena had no answer for that, because she knew it was the truth.

"Some of us are willing to help him," Ruben continued, "Frankie and Jojo, me and Kennedy."

"Jojo's an old man, Ruben," Elena said, getting exasperated, "he's a retired fry cook, for God's sake."

"He's also a Vietnam Nam veteran, Elena," he told her, "and Frankie is one of the best hunters around and knows this desert better than anyone. And Kennedy, well Kennedy just likes a good fight." Then he laughed.

"Elena, you're not going to stop him," he said convincingly, sobering them both. "So we better help him, or he's going to get himself killed along with his three friends. And how will you explain that to Hector?"

She knew he was right. Hector would never understand. But she was afraid now, for all of them. Stark was stone cold and vicious, who thought nothing of beating a man and leaving him in the desert to die, and now her friends and a man she cared about, were going to try and fight this lunatic. As she took Ruben's hand she saw him look behind her and she turned to see Deeks leaning against the doorway. Thankfully, he was wearing pants.

"Did I hear you right? You're willing to help me?" Deeks asked seriously, with a hopeful look on his face.

Ruben jumped up and helped Deeks to the table, noticing that his body was trembling from his effort to come just this far from his bed. He wondered how the man was ever going to make it to the airstrip, let alone survive a firefight.

"Do you have any more of that coffee?" Deeks asked, smiling at the thought of it and looking forward to the rush of caffeine. He knew he was going to need it.

After Elena introduced Ruben, Deeks started to question him about his experiences, and some of his answers were a surprise to Elena. She didn't know he had been a firefighter for two years with the CDF, or that he had almost been killed a year ago when there had been an explosion on the oil platform he had been working on. The man she thought she knew, answered all of Deeks' questions concisely and with modesty, never boasting and not denying some of the trouble he had gotten into when he was younger.

"You're not going to arrest me for that after this is over, are you?" he asked Deeks after his confession to shoplifting as a teenager.

"If we come out of this alive," Marty said grinning, "that's the last thing I'm going to do. I might hug you, but I won't arrest you."

Marty asked Ruben to assess all of the men who had volunteered. Asking him about their good points and their bad. Kennedy troubled Deeks the most, because of his lack of discipline, and wildness. But, if the guy was willing to go up against a man like Stark, it probably didn't hurt to be a little crazy.

"Can you have everybody here in half an hour?" Deeks asked and when Ruben nodded he said, "Good, and tell them to bring all the weapons and ammunition they can lay their hands on."

After Ruben left, Marty looked at Elena and saw the concern and doubt clouding her face. All these men were her friends, especially Ruben, and he was asking them to risk their lives in a fight that wasn't theirs.

"I'm sorry, Elena," he said. She turned without speaking and walked from the room.

He knew his plan had to minimize their exposure, but without them, he had no hope of saving Kensi or Callen and Sam. He picked up the phone and called Hetty.

...

Deeks was dressed and at the kitchen table when Ruben and his men came in. Elena had helped him with his clothes, but wouldn't speak to him, and left with Hector and Paco before the men arrived. Ruben introduced each one, and they all shook his hand quietly.

Frankie, the hunter, was a lean man who looked like he had lived in the desert his whole life, and liked it. He had a beard that traced his chin and his eyes were dark and intense. He had on jeans and a pale green tee shirt and wore a battered, gray baseball cap. The rifle he carried was impressive, featuring a state-of-the-art scope that would come in handy if this guy was a decent shot, and Ruben had assured Marty that he was.

Jojo, the Nam vet, was a Latino in his late sixties with a fringe of grey hair around the base of his bald head. He was slightly overweight, and wore a faded blue plaid shirt over a dark tee shirt and jeans. He carried a Glock semi-automatic pistol and a Remington coyote-hunting rifle. Deeks asked if he could borrow the Glock, and after some convincing by Ruben he handed it over. Deeks didn't want any of them too close to the action, and he needed a weapon. The coyote rifle would do just fine for Jojo.

When he was introduced to Kennedy, he was surprised at how laid back he was. After some of the stories Ruben had told him about the guy, he was expecting a tough looking intense badass, and maybe he was, but he didn't look the part. He was young and skinny, with long, dirty blond hair tied back at the neck. He had a placid face and a shy smile. He wore jeans and a black cowboy shirt. His only weapon was an old hunting rifle that had once belonged to his uncle.

Ruben had brought his Remington deer hunting rifle and a Beretta pistol. He was wearing a camo vest over a grey tee shirt and jeans and he wore a dark green trucker's cap.

As Deeks looked over his volunteers, he began to have doubts about his plans. These were weekend hunters, and except for Jojo, they had never been in a firefight, had never had someone shooting back at them and trying to kill them. If one of them was wounded or killed during this op, he would never forgive himself. But, he had to try and save his partners. He had no doubt that Stark would shoot them down when he was done with them, without giving it a second thought. Deeks knew he had no other choice, he had to go and take his weekend warriors with him.

...

Callen stared at Stark as he walked towards them with a smirk on his face. They had been given water but no food, and their hands were getting numb from being tied behind their backs so long, Kensi's being particularly tight. Callen figured it was about an hour until the convoy of missiles arrived at the airstrip, and he still had no idea how they were going to get out of this.

"You're not gonna beat me, Callen," Stark laughed, "I know what your thinkin', because we think alike. But you can't overpower me or my guys and no one is coming to help you. The sale of those missiles will set me and my boys up for the rest of our lives."

"Stark, if I was anything like you, I'd kill myself," Callen said spitting on the ground at his feet.

Stark just laughed. Then he hauled Kensi to her feet. He put his hand around her throat and pulled her to his chest and held her there, as he smelled her hair. "Are you missing your boyfriend, sweetheart?" he whispered in her ear. "After I'm through with you, you won't remember his name." She struggled to pull away, her eyes flashing in anger, but his hand held her close, and as she fought him, he tightened his grip and her vision began to gray out. He began touching and kissing her face and lips, running his fingers slowly down the side of her neck onto her shoulder. He slipped his hand under the strap of her tank top, sliding it down until it rested on her breast.

"Don't you touch me, you bastard," Kensi yelled in his face. Stark laughed and continued touching her and taunting her about Deeks. "You need a real man, sweetheart," he said softly, "I bet Deeks never made you scream, did he." Kensi began to cry and struggle, but Stark was unrelenting.

Callen and Sam tried to get up and stop what he was doing to her, but Stark motioned to his men and the guards knocked both of them out.

Stark continued his assault, the guards coming closer to watch. He began kissing her hard while slowly choking her until her knees buckled. His free hand moved to her waist, and after unzipping her jeans, he began to slide his hand down inside her panties, causing her to plead for him to stop, tears coursing down her face. "You're lovin' this as much as I am, sweetheart." Stark whispered against her ear, "Just think, your boyfriend is dying in the desert, while you and me are having a little afternoon delight."

Kensi was instantly alert. She had heard him say dying, not dead. Marty might still be alive. She started fighting harder as anger and adrenaline raced through her body. She got her knees braced and then she kicked him in the leg as hard as she could and as many times as she could manage, before he choked her unconscious. He let her drop to the ground and then kicked her hard in the ribs, angry that she had spoiled his party.

He spit on the ground as he looked down on the three of them. Then he told the guards to get them up and over to the airstrip before the convoy showed up. He would enjoy killing each one of them, especially the woman, after he finished what he started.

...

With Ruben and Frankie's help Deeks had managed to make it to the airstrip without passing out. His head wound had started bleeding again and a trickle of blood followed his jaw line. They had left the truck they came in behind a small out building and walked to a position behind the nearest hanger. As he leaned against the building, Deeks fought the dizziness that threatened to send him to his knees. Kennedy gave him some water to drink, and that helped, but he felt panic rising in his stomach. If he couldn't keep going this op was doomed.

"Take some deep breaths, Marty," Ruben said, grasping his shoulder firmly and steadying him. Slowly the nausea subsided and he began to breathe easier.

"Everybody remember the plan?" he said, looking at each of them. "If nobody panics, we should be able to pull this off. But, don't take any unnecessary risks. I want all of you to come out of this alive, otherwise, Elena's going to kill me." They all smiled at that and went to take up their positions around the airstrip.

Kennedy helped him get to his position behind a small storage locker next to the front of the hanger. Kennedy used to work at the airstrip and had drawn them a good working layout. Deeks' position allowed him to see the whole area and the road the convoy would be coming in on, as well as being able to see Stark and his men as they came from the main compound. Hopefully, he would be bringing Kensi, Sam and Callen with him. If they weren't with Stark, he would know they were already dead, and if they were, then he intended to kill Stark and as many of his men as he could, but he was definitely going to kill Stark.

The heat was intense, and Deeks began to wonder how much longer he could take it, when the two humvees came driving onto the tarmac. Stark got out, followed by a couple of his men. They turned and pulled Sam out and pushed him to the ground, and then Callen followed. Stark yanked Kensi roughly out of the vehicle, pulling her close and whispering something in her ear, then he threw her onto the ground as well. Deeks could see that her clothes were a mess and her hair tangled. Anger flashed throughout his body as he realized what she must have been going through. He was definitely going to kill Stark.

Deeks forced himself to calm down, and watched intently as Stark did what he had hoped he would. Sam and Callen's hands were cut free, but not Kensi's, she was pulled up and held off to the side closest to the hanger and to Stark. She was his hostage to guarantee that Callen and Sam behaved themselves. Each had an armed guard behind them with their guns drawn. They spread out across the tarmac, waiting for the convoy.

So far so good, Deeks thought, hoping his rag-tag army could shoot as well as they said they could. Then he noticed dust rising from the road, and he knew the decoy convoy was approaching and all hell was about to break loose. With Starks' attention focused on the convoy, Deeks took aim at the man guarding Callen, and he hoped Frankie, who was lying prone in the mesquite, had done the same on Sam's guard.

As the first truck in the convoy came onto the tarmac, Deeks fired twice, killing Callen's guard. Then he saw Sam's guard go down as well, and he smiled. He was amazed at how fast Callen had the fallen gun in his hands, and began firing at the other soldiers. Sam had armed himself and was rushing towards the hanger and Stark, but Stark had grabbed Kensi by the throat and turned in Deeks' direction, pushing her towards him while firing back at Sam. Kensi's guard was between him and Kensi, but he could see a smile break out on her face when she saw him.

He stood and fired at the oncoming guard, hitting him in the arm, but not before he got off a shot that took Deeks in the leg and he went down. The guard continued running towards him, and Deeks fought to remain conscious and get to his gun, which lay just out of his reach. As the guard got set to take his final shot, Kennedy leaped over Deeks and slammed the guard to the ground, knocking his gun away. Then he started pounding the guy's head, over and over again, into the tarmac. Deeks was amazed at the transformation in Kennedy's demeanor, from totally laid back, to complete maniac, all in the space of a few seconds. Kennedy stopped and got up, turning to help Deeks, when Stark saw him and fired, hitting the crazy kid in the chest. Deeks cried out as Kennedy fell spread-eagle on the ground and was still. He tried to crawl to him but the pain and exhaustion of the last two days finally overcame him and he passed out.

Kensi yelled out Deeks' name as she saw him fall and then watched as Stark shot the skinny, longhaired blond who had saved Deeks' life. Tears filled her eyes as Stark choked her into submission and pulled her around to keep her between himself and a fast closing Sam Hannah. She tried to warn Sam about a soldier coming up behind him, when a man in a camouflage vest and green trucker's cap stepped around the side of the building and shot the guy down.

"Let her go, Stark," Sam ordered, advancing with his gun pointed at Stark's head.

"Not gonna happen, old buddy," Stark replied, pulling Kensi with him as he backed towards the end of the hanger, where Deeks was lying unconscious on the ground.

"G, do you have a shot?" Sam yelled.

"No," Callen shouted back. Stark kept moving Kensi back and forth in front of him, keeping both Sam and Callen from having a clean shot. Callen could see Kensi was not fully conscious, as Stark was choking her just enough to keep her from fighting him.

Callen looked over at Deeks, and prayed that he was still alive. Somehow, Deeks had managed to put a local team together and pull their butts out of the fire, and that was impressive. Then he saw Deeks begin slowly crawling towards his weapon and Callen began to hope.

Deeks' head thundered with blinding pain, and he felt himself getting weaker as he continued to lose blood from the gunshot wound in his leg, but he knew he had to get to the gun. Stark was almost standing on top of him, when he reached it. He picked up the Glock, pressed the muzzle against the back of Stark's knee and pulled the trigger. Stark screamed and lost his grip on Kensi's throat and she fell to the ground.

When Sam and Callen heard Stark's scream and saw Kensi fall free, they both fired at the same time, both hitting Stark in the head, killing him instantly.

Sam got to Kensi just as Callen reached Deeks, who had passed out. Sam pulled a knife off Stark's body and cut Kensi free.

"You OK, Kens?" Sam asked.

"I am now," she said, "is the bastard dead?"

"Yeah, twice" Sam said, smiling.

Then they both turned towards Deeks, who lay on his back in the sun. His head was wrapped in a bloody bandage, his face streaked with dirt and blood. Callen began putting pressure on his leg wound, as Kensi lifted his head and shoulders and cradled him in her arms.

"Is he OK?" someone asked behind them, and Sam quickly turned, his gun ready. The team looked up to see three men standing together, holding an assortment of weapons, and realized that they were Deeks' small army of volunteers who had saved their lives.

"He will be, as soon as we can get him to a hospital," Sam told them. Then he rose and introduced himself and the others, thanking them for their help. Each man nodded, but was quiet.

"Kennedy," Deeks said softly as he came to and tried to sit up, but Kensi held him down.

The man in the green trucker's hat knelt down next to him and put his hand on his shoulder and said, "He didn't make it, Marty," then he patted his shoulder as Deeks eyes became watered with tears.

"No, Ruben, no," Deeks whispered, "he saved my life and I didn't even know his first name."

"Neither did we," Ruben told him, "he was just Kennedy."

Then the sound of incoming choppers filled the air.

...

Deeks was sitting up in one of the choppers and had just finished talking with the volunteers, when he saw Elena. She was standing next to her truck shading her eyes with her hand. He touched Ruben's shoulder and nodded her way.

"Does she know about Kennedy?" he asked with a slight tremor in his voice. He knew she would be angry at the loss of such a young man, and he thought she might blame him almost as much as he blamed himself. And although it would be hard to face her, he needed to speak with her one last time, to thank her again for his life.

"She knows," Ruben told him, putting his hand on the back of Deeks' neck, "but, she understands that you had to do this, man. Marty, you do know that Kennedy's death wasn't your fault don't you?"

Deeks dropped his head as Ruben stood silently by him as he fought for control. When he looked up, Elena was standing next to Ruben, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Elena," he said.

She could see the anguish in his eyes and she knew she didn't need to say anything about Kennedy's death. She could see that he would carry the guilt until he died.

"You should be on your way to the hospital Marty," she said in her nurse's voice and with inherent kindness showing in her eyes, "that leg wound is still bleeding."

But he couldn't let it go. "If I had just made sure Kennedy..." he began, but he was cut off.

"Deeks, don't do that." Sam said as he walked up to him," don't take that on yourself. It's not your fault, it's mine." Sam's face was shadowed with regret. He looked at Deeks a long time without speaking and Deeks looked away, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Elena spoke, "It was Stark's fault, he's the one who caused all of this."

"You're the woman who saved Deeks' life." Sam said quietly. "Thank you. I owe you, because he wouldn't have been out there if it weren't for me. And, Ruben, your men shouldn't have had to risk their lives for us. We owe you, and if you ever need anything, please know that we will be there if you call."

Callen and Kensi walked up and they both sensed the tension between Deeks and Sam, and there was an awkward moment when no one knew what to say.

"You do all know that we volunteered, don't you," Ruben finally said. "Helping Marty rescue you was something we felt we had to do. We all knew the risks involved, and we chose to take them, because we couldn't have lived with ourselves if we had let you all die. So quit blaming yourselves and each other, and blame the man responsible, Stark."

"That's what I've been telling them," Kensi said vehemently.

Sam looked down and then asked, "Could I have a minute with Deeks?" As everyone moved off, Sam stood quietly for several moments while he tried to collect himself. He looked out over the desert and then he reached out and put his hand on Deeks' arm, and Deeks could feel the tension as his grip tightened. He looked over at Sam's face and saw him fighting to maintain his composure. And that surprised him.

"Tell me what he did to you, Deeks, all of it." Sam said, his voice deep with emotion, "I need to know what you went through because of me."

"Sam, you don't have to do this," Deeks told him.

"Just tell me," Sam repeated as he turned and looked at Deeks.

So Deeks did. When he was finished, he looked up to see a multitude of emotions playing across Sam's face.

"Deeks, I don't think I can forgive myself for what happened to you," Sam said it so softly that Deeks had to lean forward to hear it.

"This was Stark's plan, Sam, not yours." Deeks said with exhaustion and resignation in his voice. "You trusted him because you thought he was the same man who saved you all those years ago. But he wasn't that man anymore, Sam." Deeks stopped and looked into Sam's eyes and then up into the sky and said sadly, "What I can't figure out, Sam, is why you didn't trust me, even a little. I don't think you ever have, maybe you never will, and I don't know what I can ever do to change that. None of you trusted me, not even Kensi. I was alone, Sam, and maybe that's the way it's meant to be."

Deeks signaled to the medic that he was ready to go. Then he turned his face away from Sam, and closed his eyes. As the chopper blades began to rev-up, Sam walked over to where Callen and Kensi stood alone and the three agents watch the chopper lift off and head out across the desert.

"Sam, are you OK?" Callen asked when he saw how shaken his partner was.

"No," Sam replied and then quietly told them, "I think we might have lost him after all."

**Epilogue coming soon**


End file.
